The Wonderland Gang
by dragonshensi
Summary: When the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, and March Hare escape Wonderland to find Alice they are in for a bunch of surprises. Like a mordern day New York, and a Alice that isn't their Alice but her descendant.
1. Chapter 1:Into Reality

The Wonderland Gang

Alice in Wonderland Fanfic

Chapter 1: Into Reality

It was a busy day in New York City, as it always was. People crowded the sidewalks, streets, buses, and stores. If one were to look down on the city from above they would definitely have a hard time trying to find a space of land that didn't have a person on it. The only place that even looked remotely empty was Central Park. Crime was on the rise these days and most civilians tried their best to stay away from there, since it was nothing but a gang hangout. Since the park was somewhat deserted, that's why no one saw the white portal appear on the ground next to one of the few trees in New York.

Out from the strange portal came even stranger figures. One wore a huge hat on his head and was dressed in suit. Another was dressed in a blue and purple outfit. He had on a purple hat and wore blue gloves. It's a good thing he did, because more than likely people would stare if they saw a man walking around with cat ears and claws, not to mention the huge puffy tail. The last one wore a cap, like the ones the taxi drivers or old men wear, which concealed his brown rabbit ears. His clothes were in disarray and he looked like he was ready to duck and cover at the slightest sound.

"Are you sure this is the place Hatter?" The March Hare asked, casting frightened glances around their new surroundings.

"I'm sure of it. Alice is here somewhere." The man in the top hat replied.

"Let's hope so," The Cheshire Cat said, "It won't take long for the Queen to realize we escaped her domain."

"By the time she does though we will have Alice and with her with can overthrow that awful woman." The Mad Hatter answered.

"But this place looks so big!" The March Hare groaned, "How will we ever find her!"

"Calm down March Hare, or you'll make us all go mad." The Hatter said, smirking at his little joke.

"But what if we don't find her in time before the others do?" The Cheshire Cat asked calmly.

" We won't let that happen." The Mad Hatter said, "Enough chit-chat, especially if tea isn't involved. Let's go find Alice."

With that the three men made their way out of Central Park and into a world more mad than their own home. People gave them strange glances as they past. Hatter would tip his hat in greeting and try to talk to the people but they would either ignore him or shout rude remarks and walk away. Despite having no luck finding Alice the Cheshire Cat couldn't help but smile big at the Mad Hatter's angry expression on his face after getting spit in the face by an old woman.

"I hate this place!" Hatter yelled, "No one here has any manners whatsoever! What's next!? No tea here!?"

At that comment the March Hare shuddered. The three of them however did not see the four men slowly advancing on them. They slid through the crowd closer to them. Before he knew it the March Hare was grabbed from behind and pulled into a nearby alley. The Hare let out a shriek, which instantly caught the attention of his two companions.

They surged after the March Hare into the alley, where they saw he was being held up against the wall by dirty looking men. They had knives and one even had a gun. Seeing the two new guests in the alley, the men turned and flashed them a menacing smile.

"Listen here you three weirdos." One of the men said, "Give us your money and we'll let your friend here go."

"What in the heavens is money?" The Mad Hatter asked, puzzled.

"Don't try messing with us freak!" Another one of them yelled, pressing a knife against the March Hare's neck.

"It seems these men are nothing more than thugs, criminals to be precise." The Cheshire Cat said, threateningly calm.

"Let our friend go gentlemen and we will not hurt you." The Mad Hatter warned.

At that all four men laughed, one of them replied while still snickering, "Yeah right. Just try it."

"Ok then," The Mad Hatter said, shrugging, " If you insist."

Before any of the men knew what hit them the Hatter and the Cheshire Cat were upon them. Hatter pulled out a huge knife from his waistcoat and stabbed one of the men through the chest. In a blink of an eye Cheshire had removed his gloves, showing his razor sharp claws, and attacked the group. With a slash of his paw at one the men's throat he crumbled to the ground. The last two men tried to make a run for it down the alley, but to no avail. Hatter threw his knife at one of them, which pierced the man's head. He fell to the ground without a sound. The last man didn't stand a chance either. The Cheshire Cat appeared right before him and the thug ran right into his claws, the deadly things ramming into his gut. Cheshire lifted the criminal off his feet and slashed at the man's throat. He then threw his motionless body next to the other corpses.

"We didn't survive Wonderland all this time without learning how to fight boys." Hatter stated to the dead thugs.

"Are you ok March Hare?" Cheshire asked, showing concern instead of his usual calmness.

" I am fine." The March Hare replied, clearly embarrassed that the men had got the jump on him, "Let's just go find Alice already."

With that the three friends left the alley and dead men behind. They merged with the crowd and searched the entire day for Alice. They saw strange sights and even came across a green giant woman who wouldn't even talk to them. They did not like this world, but it sure beat living in Wonderland now.

**Hope you liked the first chapter. More coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2:Coffee and Tea

The Wonderland Gang

Chapter 2: Coffee and Tea

Alice Hendrith let out a sigh of exhaustion. She had been working at the coffee shop since seven in the morning. It had just turned one and the lunch rush was reaching its peak. She had spilled coffee on herself at least three times and had to deal with angry customers five times within one hour. Her patience was wearing thin and Alice was irritated that her blonde hair had to be pulled up in a ponytail. It felt like the ponytail was trying to pull her whole face backwards a few inches.

As the lunch rush slowly ended Alice decided to take a break. She grabbed a cup of coffee, which she desperately needed, and the newspaper. She sat down in one of the corner tables and began reading the paper, all the while sipping from her coffee.

The front headlines read that a group of men were brutally killed in one of the many alleys in New York yesterday. Obviously, by the looks of the men, they were trying to mug someone and instead were killed. The thugs were wanted men, for murder and theft. No one saw who killed them and the police were doing a search, although no charges will be filed against the person because of self-defense more than likely.

That was when her break ended and Alice was forced to get back to work. As she put her soiled apron back on the store door opened and in walked in the strangest people she had ever seen, and Alice lived in New York! Three men walked in, dressed like something from a children's novel. One had an oversized hat with a 10/6 card placed in it. He wore a suit that someone would wear to a ball.

The next guy looked like he just got out of bed. His clothes were ruffled and he wore the kind of cap taxi drivers wore. He looked around nervously, like he was being watched or something. He was the shortest of the three.

The last guy was the one that caught Alice's attention the most. He was handsome and had a charming yet somewhat creepy smile on his face. He wore a blue and purple outfit, with a hat on his head and gloves on his hands. As the man noticed her looking at them, his smile got even bigger and Alice couldn't help but smile too.

The three men made their way to the counter and that's when the man with the tall hat spoke, "Is this what people around here call a store?"

Alice looked at him with puzzlement. Was he stupid, foreign, or just high? He had just asked if this was a store, like he didn't know what a store was. She wanted to reply with a sarcastic remark but Alice was already in hot water with the manager, so she decided to act nice.

"Yes sir. We sell coffee here. Would you like some?" Alice replied.

"What the devil is coffee?" The small nervous one asked.

"It is a type of drink." Alice answered. She knew she should have been surprised that they didn't know what coffee was but Alice could tell they were not from around here.

"Is it like tea?" The one with big hat asked.

"No." Alice replied, her patience starting to wear thin.

"Do you have any tea?" The grinning one said, flashing his teeth, which looked somewhat cat-like.

"Yes we do sir." Alice replied again.

"Splendid!" The man with the hat yelled cheerfully, "We would love some please!"

Alice groaned inwardly and made her way to prepare the tea. She couldn't tell if these guys were gay, weird, or just plain insane. She had a feeling though, that she would soon find out.


	3. Chapter 3: Bad Tea Bad Boss

The Wonderland Gang

Chapter 3: Bad Tea and Bad Boss

**Im so sorry I haven't been posting lately. I have been having relationship problems and for awhile lost my interest in writing. But I have decided to try to get back to it.**

As Alice brought out the tea to the strange group she couldn't help but stare at the them. Sure she has seen her fair share of weirdos, she lived in New York for god's sake, but these guys took the cake. They looked like something from the past or a fantasy book. Alice just shrugged to herself and sat the tea down on the table.

"Why thank you my dear."the man with the large hat said and ever-so-gently lifted the cup to his lips.

As soon as the tea went into the man's mouth he instantly spit it back out. He had a look of sheer disgust on his face and was trying his best to get the taste out of his mouth. Finally after gagging for a few seconds he looked up at her.

"Beg your pardon miss but you call that tea?" the man said, trying to hold in his anger," Where I come from tea time is the most important time of the day and I expect my tea to be at least decent."

"Calm down Hatter. It's only tea." The man with the smile replied, swirling his finger in the hot liquid, a bored expression on his face.

"JUST TEA!JUST TEA!HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!"the man yelled, he was starting to get red in the face," IN A WORLD FULL OF MADDNESS AND EVIL THE ONLY THING PURE AND CALMING IS TEA TIME!"

"I actually kinda like the tea." the small fidgety man said, sipping the tea through shakey hands.

"WHAT!"the man with the hat screamed in anger and confusion.

Alice slowly started to back away from the group. They were starting to get too weird, even by this city's standards. She quickly went behind the counter and through a set of doors in the back, into her bosses' office. He was sitting at his table, trying to build a house of cards.

"Mr. Spade! We have a problem out front!"Alice said, earning a sigh from her boss.

Alice never really liked her boss. He was easy to anger and a terrifying man. He was built like a house and so tall it was a wonder he could fit through any door. It made her wonder why he chose to get into the coffee business. He looked more like a pro-wrestler to her.

"What is it Alice?" Mr. Spade asked, with a mix of boredom and anger in his voice.

"We have a couple of weirdos out there arguing about tea. They freak me out."Alice replied.

"What were their names?" Mr. Spade said, slowly rising from behind his desk.

"I'm not sure. Although I think I heard one of them call the other Hatter."Alice answered.

"Hatter? Did he perhaps have a huge hat on his head?" Mr. Spade asked, sudden interest in his eyes.

"Yes. Do you know them?" Alice said.

"You might say that." Mr. Spade said, flashing Alice a menacing smile.

All of the sudden shouts from the other employees rang out through the shop. Something about can't go in there. Then the man in the large hat burst through the door and into the room, slowly followed by the other two. The man was red in the face while the grinning was looked ashamed and the small one terrified by the other's outburst.

"Sir I have a complaint about your godawful tea! I-"The man suddenly stopped in mid-sentence and the color drained from his face.

"Why if it isnt my old friend the Mad Hatter." Mr. Spade sneered, "What did you say about my tea?"

"Spade!" The grinning one hissed, suddenly turning from bored to downright angry.

"Oh and you brought the Cheshire Cat and the March Hare with you. What a pleasant reunion."Mr. Spade replied, "Now I can bring all three traitors back to the queen."

"Not on your life Spade." The one with the hat replied, drawing a huge knife from his coat.

Both Mr. Spade and the three maniacs must have forgotten that Alice was there. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew that she needed to leave and fast. Trying to not to capture the attention of the three lunatics or her boss, she slowly made her way to the door. Unforunately for Alice, that's when the one in the hat noticed her.

"Hare! Grab the girl and make a dash for it! We can't risk her getting harmed by one of the Red Queen's lackeys!" the man screamed.

Before Alice could protest the fidgety one grabbed her by the wrist and quickly pulled her out of the room. Suddenly the whole store rang out with the sounds of fighting. People were screaming and pushing, trying to get away from the fight that just erupted. The little man and Alice finally made it out of the coffee house and took shelter in an alley behind the store.

"What in the world is going on here!" Alice screamed at the man, which made him jump a little.

"Be quiet Miss. Spade might hear us." The man whispered back to her.

Suddenly the back wall of the store exploded outward. Dust and bricks filled the alley. When the dust finally cleared she saw her boss, Mr. Spade, who looked like he had grew ten times bigger than he already was. In his giant right hand held the limp form of the man with the hat. He was using the other hand to try to swat the smily one, which was clawing his scalp, off his head.

"Get off me furball!" Mr. Spade screamed out.

"What? You don't like the new haircut I'm giving you?" The man replied, flashing one of his smiles that for some reason made her grin too, despite the chaos. The man saw her smiling and he winked at her. The smile on her face quickly faded when Mr. Spade grabbed the man on his head and tossed him to the ground. The fidgety one beside her quickly ran to his friends' aid.

"I knew I should have called in sick today."Alice said.


	4. Chapter 4:Royal Flush

The Wonderland Gang

Chapter 4: Royal Flush

As the battle between the three mystery men and Alice's former boss ( there was no way she could work for him now!) Alice tried her best to remian silent and blend into the alley wall. Mr. Spade threw the limp form of the one called the Hatter at the other man with the grin. The man gracefully caught the one with the big hat in his arms and laid him on the ground, where the fidgety one took care of him. The man then leaped at Mr. Spade and scurried back up to the man's head, continuing his clawing of her bosses' head.

At that moment the man with the enormous hat woke up, pulling out his huge knife and joining the battle. Mr. Spade was too busy trying to swipe at the smiling man on his head to notice Hatter in front of him. Before Spade knew it the tea-loving lunatic stabbed him in both his knees, causing him to cry out in pain. Both the smiling man and the one with the hat fell back beside Alice and the fidgety one.

"Looks like we are holding the trumph card now Spade." The Hatter yelled.

"Was-was that suppose to be a joke?"Spade spat through clenched teeth.

"I thought it was humorous." The grinning man replied nonchalantly.

"We will see who has the last laugh as I squeeze the life out of all you!" Spade snarled, then slowly started advancing towards them. He was limping due to his injuries.

"Quick! Fall back to the river over there. I have an idea!"the man called Hatter said. Before Alice could protest the grinning one grabbed her arm and lead her away from Mr. Spade.

As they made their way across the street, dodging cars and shocked civilians, Alice couldn't help but look behind her. Mr. Spade wasn't far behind them. Instead of avoiding the automobiles Spade just simply swatted them out of his way, like they were nothing more than a fly on the wall.

"Hey Hatter uhm...what's your idea?" the small frieghten one of the group asked.

"Well Hare we are going to lure that monster close enough to the river where he will fall in and hopefully sink like a rock." Hatter answered as they finally crossed the street and onto the sidewalk.

"What if Spade can swim?" The man who was pulling Alice along said.

"His legs are injured. Hopefully he won't be able to stay afloat." Hatter replied.

As they neared the river Alice couldn't help but look back again. She screamed as she saw her boss lift up a car and toss it in their direction. The three men looked behind and jumped to the left as the car slammed into the ground where they just were two seconds ago.

Before the group could get to their feet Mr. Spade was on them. He grabbed the man that had dragged Alice and pulled him up. Spade swung his gigantic arm and knocked the other two men away before they could get up and help their companion. Spade started closing his hand around the small form of the man in it, practically squeezing the life out of him.

" So Cheshire Cat." Mr. Spade said with a smirk, "Tell me why you are here."

" I hate telling secrets...why...why dont you guess." The man replied in gasps, smiling despite being in pain.

"`Fine then. Let me guess...are you searching for perhaps Alice?" Spade said, flashing a menacing grin.

Were these men looking for her? She wouldn't be staying long enough to find out. While Spade and the other men were busy with each other they didn't even pay Alice no mind. She quickly started to run away from them. She just wanted to get away from all this and hide in her apartment for awhile.

That was when an image of the man with the grin flashed in her mind. Something about him made Alice pause in her run. The man's smile was so alluring and he had a certain charm about him. Not to mention he had saved her from her boss. Alice came to a halt and cast a glance back at the battle between the crazies.

The man Spade had in his grip was desparately trying to escape while Spade just laughed at his effort. Alice could see that his face was getting red and his attacks on Spade's hand was starting to weaken. He wouldn't last much longer. Alice had to help him.

She quickly scanned the area and saw a nearby car, parked on the curb. She raced towards it and prayed that it was unlocked and that the keys were inside. Looks like the gods heard her prayer and answered because when she tried the handle the door came open and the keys were in the ignition. Alice couldn't help but laugh the car owner's stupidity.

"You leave your car unlocked and with the keys inside. Are you wanting to get your car jacked? This is New York for God's sake!" Alice thought to herself as she climbed inside and started the engine.

She slammed on the gas and did a complete u-turn in the street. As she sped towards Spade she couldn't help but think she was going insane, especially after what she was about to do. She honked on the horn to get her boss's attention. He cast a glance up and dropped the man onto the ground, but that was all he had time to do. Alice hurled herself out of the car as the vechile rammed into Mr. Spade. Alice rolled on the hard concrete, getting alot of deep cuts and bruises, but other than that she was strangely fine.. Spade was knocked backwards into the river with the car. He screamed as he hit the water and instantly started to sink into the murky waters of the river. He tried to move the car and swim up but with his bad legs it couldn't be done.

Alice and the three men ran over to peer down at the river, watching as Spade receded into the darkness. The only thing that even hinted that he was in the water was the stream of bubbles rising to the surface, and after awhile, they stopped.

"Guess he got the royal flush eh?" Hatter said to Alice and his companions. Not even the one called Cheshire Cat smiled at that lame joke.

Just then the group heard police sirens in the distance. They would arrive soon and Alice was pretty sure they would arrest them. Not that she could blame them though, she didn't have a good story to explain what had just happened, well...one that wouldn't land her in the crazy house.

"Looks like we need to disappear." Cheshire said.

"Quick follow me!" Alice commanded as they raced away into the opposite direction of the sirens.

"Why are you helping us?" The one called the March Hare asked.

"Well I guess I owe you for saving me from my boss."Alice replied, not really sure why she was helping them, but that was the only thing she could think of.

"Where are we going my dear." Cheshire asked with a pur. He sounded just then like a cat.

"To my apartment to hide out for awhile." Alice replied as they followed her down the street.


	5. Chapter 5: Make Yourselves At Home

The Wonderland Gang

Chapter 5: Make Yourselves At Home

Alice opened the door to her apartment. She flicked on the lights and motioned for her strange guests to come in. They tiredly came into her home, beat from the fight with Spade. Hatter just plopped down on the nearby sofa while the one called March and Cheshire just slumped to the floor.

" Uhm...well, just make yourselves at home." Alice said, unsure why she even allowed these freaks into her home in the first place.

"Really?" The grinning one said," Good cause these human clothes are starting to hurt my ears and tail."

Just then Cheshire took off his hat, revealing cat-like ears. They were short and purple, with the right one having a silver earring in it. Then, like a snake, a purple and pink tail protruded from his backside. It was long yet skinny, and it swayed back and forth, almost in a hypnotic way.

Before what Alice saw registered in her mind the small nervous one took off his hat. Out popped two long furry brown rabbit ears. One was hanging down sideways while the other was sticking straight up. It would have looked cute if it wasn't so shocking.

Finally, something clicked in Alice's brain and she fell backwards. She screamed a little and back-crawled away from them. What had she gotten herself into? Where they some kind of circus freak? Or an experiment gone terribly wrong?

"What-What are you guys?" Alice asked, as her back hit the wall.

"Oh!" Hatter said, standing up, "How rude of us. We didnt even introduce ourselves. I'm Hatter by the way. Some people call me Mad Hatter though."

"I'm Cheshire Cat my dear." the man with the cat ears said, flashing her a grin.

" I am March Hare. Nice to meet you uhm..." bunny-eared man trailed off.

Alice realized that she hadn't told these men her name yet. Although a part of her thought it wouldn't be wise to tell them her name, another part thought they were good people. They saved her from her ex-boss, so they seemed ok.

" My name is Alice." Alice replied, and then suddenly all three men stiffened.

" The Alice?" Cheshire Cat asked, his smile widening.

"Wait-What?"Alice replied.


	6. Chapter 6: Explanations

Chapter 6: Explanations

Alice stood there, mouth agape. She wanted to say something but no words came out. She just continued to open and close her mouth like a fish out of water.

"You look like a fish" Cheshire chuckled, "Which reminds me I'm starving."

"So let me get this straight,"Alice said, ignoring the man for the moment, " You guys are from another world!"

"Yep." the one with rabbit ears replied, "A wonderful place called Wonderland."

The men had told Alice that they had come from another world searching for her. However, they wasn't able to continue their story before Alice stopped them and started repeating the same sentence over and over again. She couldn't wrap her mind around that simple fact, and they weren't even halfway through with their story.

"So...you guys are from another world!" Alice stated again.

"Good lord woman." Mad Hatter sighed, putting his hands over his eyes," We have been over this for the millionth time. Can we get on with this?"

"Calm down Hatter." the Cheshire Cat replied, "Having otherworldy visitors in your living room can be pretty tough to process. Quite frankly she's handling this better than I had thought."

"Im sorry." Alice apologized, kinda hurt by the Hatter's words, "Please continue the rest of the story."

"Well actually we gave away the ending by telling you what we have so far." Hare said, " The rest of the story is the beginning of it."

*Flashback*

The March Hare quickly hurried down the long hallway. He was huffing and puffing under the heavy dishes he was carrying to the dining hall. His fur was covered in sweat due to the nonstop work he had been doing all day.

Today was going to be a joyous occassion. The Hatter and the White Queen were having a party at the castle, where they were going to announce their engagement. Of course no one else in Wonderlan knew that except him and the Cheshire Cat, who the Hatter had told due to them being his closest friends. Hatter had given the March Hare and the Cheshire Cat the honor of setting up the party. The only problem is the Cheshire Cat had never showed up today and he was running behind.

Suddenly Hare tripped over one of the many blasted rugs in the hallway and fell forward, the dishes flying high into the air. However they never came down. Instead, they formed into three separate stacks. Just then a pink and purple cat appeared, with two stacks of dishes in both of his front paws and one on his tail. He smiled at the March Hare and descended to the floor.

"I think you dropped these my friend." the Cheshire Cat grinned.

"Where have you been!"the March Hare yelled, "I've had to do all of this by myself! You were suppose to help me!"

"I'm terribly sorry." Cheshire replied, although not sounding the least bit apologetic," I was getting a wedding gift for the lucky couple."

"You do realize that this is just an engagement party." Hare said, his anger subsiding.

They made their way down the vast hallway of the castle, this time at a more slower pace. It was just like Cheshire to disappear, then reappear when needed most. Unforunately, he wasn't going to appear in the nick of time when he was definitely needed most.

Hatter was pacing up and down in the royal chambers. Despite the fact that the love of his life, the White Queen, had yes to marrying him, he still had to give her the ring in front of everyone. Hatter had hosted parties before and never even broke a sweat. This time however he was worrying over everything. The party had to be perfect and more importantly, his clothes. Presentation was everything after all.

He wore his best suit and fitted his favorite top hat on his head. He pulled out a small box from his pocket and after opening it and making sure the ring was still there, quickly closed it and put it back where it was. Suddenly he heard shouts ring out in the castle. Never leaving his trusty butter knife(which was actually more or less a butcher knife but the Mad Hatter really liked butter on his toast during tea time) behind, he pulled it out from inside his coat. The door to the royal chamber smashed inward and in rushed in soldiers, all clad in red armor. Hatter instantly knew who they were and what they wanted.

"Tell the Red Queen she needs to come back at a better time. She shouldn't invade on the night of a party." Hatter said, branishing his knife in front of him in warning.

Without even replying the soldiers rushed towards him. He cut the first two down before they were even close enough to attack. He leaped into the air and brought his knife down on the neck of another soldier. A few bloody seconds later all the soldiers lay in heaps on the ground.

Hatter groaned in annoyance, gazing down on his outfit, "Look what you dead gentlemen did. You got blood all over my favorite suit. Oh no! My love!"

Hatter raced out of the room and quickly down the hallway. His bride- to- be should be in the throne room, which more than likely the Red Queen would be. Over the past year both the Red and White Queen had ruled Wonderland together. All was fine until the Red Queen got greedy and wanted the throne for herself. There was a very unpleasant civil war in the kingdom. Forunately the White Queen won and the Red Queen and her followers were banished to the furtherest land away from the castle. It seemed however that she was back for a second try. This time though, she may win. Everyone in the kingdom was so sure that the Red Queen was beaten for good that they let their guard down. Now it seems they would all pay for their overconfidence.

As he made his way down the hall Hatter noticed a group of Red's soldiers huddled together swiping at a chandelier hanging from the ceiling for some reason with their spears. He looked closer to see the Cheshire Cat and the March Hare were sitting on top of it. The March Hare looked like he had never been as scared as he was now. Cheshire on the other hand, was smiling and throwing plates down on the soldiers. The Mad Hatter rolled his eyes angerily and killed the men quickly, due to them not even noticing he was there.

"What are you two doing!" Hatter yelled up at them.

"Oh nothing much, just hanging around."the Cheshire Cat replied, swinging back and forth on the chandelier.

"Get down here idiots! The Queen might be in trouble!" the Mad Hatter screamed, which made the cat turn serious for once and float down to the floor.

Without even looking up his right claw disappeared from his arm and reappeared behind the March Hare, still on top of the chandelier. The claw grabbed him from behind and lowered him down on the floor. Then the paw flew back to the nub on Cheshire's arm and reattached itself.

"Let's go! Oh and by the way Cheshire, " Hatter said, "That was very disturbing."

When they entered the throne room what awaited them shocked them all. Sitting on the throne was the Red Queen, and below her was a body crumbled on the floor. The body was wearing a white dress, but now dark red spots covered it. It was the White Queen...and she was dead.

"Nnnnnooooo!" Hatter screamed out, a terribly cry came from him, filled with saddness and rage.

"Ah I was wondering when you three would show up. You all missed the fun." the Red Queen said, a sinister smile on her face.

Anger surged through all of them, even the Cheshire Cat who was so calm and kind, and the March Hare, who was usually so scared, was filled with rage. They charged towards the woman on the throne, with intent to kill. The Cheshire Cat morphed into a huge monster. He looked like a giant tiger, with huge fangs and claws. The sinister smirk that was on Red's face vanished as it was replaced with worry. She quickly snapped her fingers and a dark shadow appeared behind the throne, making the three of them stop in their tracks.

The shadow gre larger and larger. It looked like it was forming a body. The shape of wings and a long tail could be seen. They all knew what it was. It was the Jabberwockey.

" Oh no! The Jabberwockey is coming!" Hare yelled, his fear coming back.

"Hatter we can't face that thing!" Cheshire roared, "It's too powerful!"

"I'm staying! I'm going to avenge my beloved and if I have to slay the Jabberwockey and Red's entire army to do so then I will!" Hatter screamed and was about to raced forward until a large purple paw grabbed him.

"Don't worry she will pay for what she did, but not here and not now!" Cheshire hissed, "We must flee to fight another day."

Hatter looked back and could tell the Jabberwockey was almost done materializing. With a silent nod to Cheshire the three of them raced out of the throne room, never looking back. They didn't stop running, even upon hearing an earth shattering roar from within the castle. They just continued running. By then night had fallen in Wonderland, but it now felt like that the darkness of the night would forever loom over the kingdom. The threesome disappeared into the night.

*End Flashback*

Alice listened in horror as the story ended. There were tears in her eyes and she was trying her hardest to not let them fall. That was one of the saddest and darkest tales she had ever heard. As the March Hare finished the story she gazed over to the Mad Hatter, who was stone-faced with his eyes downcast.

"I need some air. I always hate having conversations like this before dinner. Leaves an awkward air during the meal." Hatter replied darkly, getting up and exiting the room without another word. Alice looked over at Cheshire and for once, the man did not have a smile on his face.


	7. Chapter 7:Good Days Long Gone

Chapter 7:Good Days Long Gone

Hatter left the apartment in a rush, trying to hold back the tears. He needed to be strong, he needed to not show emotions like these. It made him weak and when the day comes to take revenge against The Red Queen, he needed to be strong.

He walked down the hallway to a nearby window, overlooking the city below. It was so different than Wonderland. He didn't know if he hated or loved this new world. It reeked of filth, saddness, and evil more than Wonderland these days. As he was staring down at the busy street he didn't even notice Alice come up behind him.

"You ok Hatter?"Alice asked, walking to stand beside and stare through the window with him.

"No not really my dear." Hatter replied gloomily, "It's just sometimes...I wish things were back to the way they were."

"What do you mean?" Alice inquired.

"When I was little, when we were all little...in Wonderland. Things were so much better." Hatter answered, with a faraway look in his eyes, " I miss the the good ol days."

*Flashback*

It was a warm summer day. A gentle breeze was in the air, making loose leaves and flowers dance in the wind. Under a tree was a small table, with many chairs set around it. There were small cups and plates placed on top on the table, with tea and small cakes aplenty. Sitting in the chairs, eating the snacks and drinking the tea, was a strange assortment of characters.

At the head of the table was a little boy, around the age of 10. He had a tophat three sizes too big for him on top of his head. The only reason it didn't engulf his whole head was because of his large ears. His name was Hatter.

Sitting beside him was a small girl, just a year younger than him. She was the White Princess, and even at this young age both her and Hatter were already deeply in love. Her hair was long and pure white, put up in a ponytail. She was an elegant white dress and was sipping tea and smiling at Hatter. He was always chatty and everyone was ok with that. Everyone just sat and listened to his stories, with occasionally in-puts and comments.

On the other side of the table sat a small brown rabbit. He was shivering nervously and his eyes darted back and forth. He was sipping his tea, or what was left in the cup. He constant shivering made the tea mostly spill. Despite looking scared and acting like he was cold, the March Hare was actually having alot of fun. He simply loved Hatter's tea parties.

In another chair sat a little purple and pink kitten. He was meowing softly while eating a one of the cakes. His small tail swayed back and forth. The Cheshire Cat smiled that big grin of his, much to the annoyance of one of the other guests at the tea party.

Across from the Chesire Cat sat a little redheaded girl. Her hair was cropped short and she wore a blue dress covered in red roses. She sat with her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face. She was the Red Princess, little sister to the White Princess. She hated how much everyone adored her bigger sister, and how much she seemed happy around Hatter. She didn't say anything though, their parents were already upset with her because of her jealousy. Being the nice sister that the White Princess was, she invited Red to Hatter's tea party.

All of the sudden a small mouse popped out of a nearby teapot, causing Red to scream in surprise. The little mouse laughed at that, along with all the other guests at the table, causing the Red Princess to blush and become even madder.

"I hate that stupid mouse." Red grumbled.

"Please sister be nice to the Doormouse." White replied

"Doormouse how many times do I have to tell you to stay out of the teapots." Hatter said, "You ruin the tea doing that."

"I'm sorry Hatter." replied the Doormouse in a small voice, "I'm just trying to hide from that cat over there."

"Oh please," the Cheshire Cat said, smiling and yet rolling his eyes, " A cat chasing a mouse. I don't fall into that stereotype. Besides, you wouldn't make much of a meal."

"Can't you two just get along?" the March Hare asked.

The cat and the mouse ignored the Hare and glared at each other. The Cheshire Cat broke the staring contest and threw a roll at the mouse. The mouse caught it and started nibbling on it. It was as close to a truce as they were ever going to get.

As the others were sitting about, watching the antics of the Cheshire Cat and the Doormouse, Hatter and the White Princess slip away from the party and stood under a tree together. They held each other's hand, both bright red in the face from embarassment. They had never shown this type of affection for each other or even told one another that they liked the other. Suddenly, White stood on her tip toes and kissed Hatter on the cheek, causing them both to go even brighter red.

"What was that for?" Hatter asked.

"Cause Hatter I have liked you for awhile now." White said, smiling a beautiful smile.

"Oh.." Hatter replied, unsure as to what to say.

"Do...do you like me Hatter?" the White Princess asked, afraid that he didn't like her.

"No I don't my dear." Hatter answered, causing White to almost cry, " I love you."

"You-you do?" White said, surpressing her tears and grinning from ear to ear, "Oh Hatter! I love you too!"

"Does this mean you want to be my boyfriend?" White said, holding his hand tighter.

"Well of course my dear."Hatter replied, flashing a smile and grabbing her and pulling her into his arms, "I'm madly in love with you after all."

White laughed at that, "I guess we need to call you the Mad Hatter from now on."

"That actually doesn't sound too bad." Hatter answered.

"Hatter?" White said, raising her head up to look into his eyes, "Don't ever leave me ok?"

"I won't ever leave you my love." Hatter said, "I'll love you and protect you always."

White smiled as tears of joy ran down her face, "I know you will."

*End Flashback*

"I broke my promise to her." Hatter said darkly, "I couldn't protect her like I said."

"Hatter that's not your fault." Alice said, placing a hand on his shoulder,"You shouldn't blame yourself for that."

"Well I do."Hatter replied, taking her hand and putting it off his shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"Alice asked.

"You can come back with us to Wonderland. We need your help."Hatter answered.

"To do what?" Alice said.

"To kill the Red Queen."Hatter replied," That's the only way to make things right. The good days are long gone."


	8. Chapter 8:Cat on the Roof

Chapter 8:Cat on the Roof

Alice awoke to the sound of the window opening. She got up out of her bed and slowly opened the door od her room, peeking out. Alice saw the Hatter and the March Hare, spread out on the couch and floor. Hatter was snoring and Hare was curled up in a ball on the floor. However, Cheshire Cat was nowhere to be seen. She gazed around the room and suddenly saw a tail go through the kitchen window. She crept to the window and put her head out.

She saw the Cheshire Cat travel silently up the fire escape outside. He jumped and flipped around, as agile as a cat. In a matter of seconds he was gone as his form retreated onto the roof.

"What could he be doing up there at this hour?"Alice asked to herself.

She checked her watch and noted that it was 2am. She had promised the Mad Hatter that they could go to Wonderland in the morning. Part of her still couldn't believe this was real. Alice honestly expected this to be some form of maddness or delusion she was suffering from. However, she felt sorry for the Hatter and his tragic tale. From what she could tell, he was a nice guy. He didn't deserve this, neither did the March Hare and the Cheshire Cat.

Alice eased out of the window and onto the fire escape. The air was cold, so cold that she could see her breath, and for a second she thought about just going back inside and asking Cheshire what he was doing later on. She changed her mind however at the thought of something was wrong with him. For some reason, she cared about him the most out of the trio. There was something about him...she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She made her way upward on the fire escape. She tried to be silent but she didn't have Cheshire Cat's talent for that sort of thing. Besides, he had those cat ears so he probably knew she was coming the moment she woke up. As she got onto the rooftop she saw him perched on the edge, like a cat, with his long tail swaying high in the air behind him.

"Hello Alice."Cheshire greeted, though he did not turn to look at her,"Lovely morning isn't it?"

"I would hardly call 2am a morning."Alice replied,"What are you doing out here anyway?"

"I needed some time to think." Cheshire greeted,"I would have disappeared, but apparently, that power doesn't work in your world. Thank the lord I still have my physical appearance, such as my tail and ears."

"What are you thinking about?"Alice asked, coming to sit beside on the edge, although cautiously.

"Wonderland of course."Cheshire replied, and for once, Alice saw a look of saddness on his face,"and the fact that I'm jealous of Hatter."

"What?Why?"Alice questioned, having no clue why a charming man/cat would be jealous of Hatter.

"Because...he had something I could never have."Cheshire replied, and paused for a second,"He had love."

"Love?"Alice said.

"Yes. The White Queen fell in love with him. I envy him for that."Cheshire answered, and stared out into the horizon.

By the way it sounded the Cheshire Cat had a crush on the White Queen. For some reason that filled her with saddness and...jealousy as well. She pushed those feelings aside when she realized the Cheshire Cat was still talking.

"I did not have a crush on the queen or anything, nothing of the sort."Cheshire continued, which brought an inward sigh of relief from Alice," I was just envious of the fact that he could find love."

"I'm pretty sure a guy like you can find love."Alice replied,"Your personality can defenitely attract some girls."

At that comment the Cheshire Cat grinned, which caused Alice to blush when she realized what exactly she had said. Suddenly, she felt Cheshire's long slender tail wrap around her and pull her closer to him. She gasped a little in surpise. Her breath shortened as she came very close to Cheshire's face. He smirked at her as he slowly brought his face closer and closer.

_Is he really going to kiss me! What should I do!_Alice thought to herself, although she noticed her lips were moving to meet his.

Just as their lips were about to meet Cheshire's face moved to the right and her ear. He whispered,"Thanks for the pep talk. You made me feel a whole lot better."

He chuckled and smiled at her. His tail released her and he got away and walked away from her. For a second she sat there, stunned, a mix between anger and passion. Alice then realized he was teasing her.

"I'll get him back for that."Alice whispered angerily to herself, then smiled herself.

"You better come along Alice my dear."Cheshire said as he got onto the fire escape,"We need to rest up for the big day tomorrow."

With that, the Cheshire Cat made his way downward back to her apartment. Alice inhaled deeply and kicked herself mentally at allowing Cheshire to get to her. She barely knew this freak for god's sake! She shouldn't be feeling these things. She pushed her thoughts aside and got up and followed Cheshire back to her apartment.


	9. Chapter 9:Ice Cream Tease

Chapter 9: Ice Cream Tease

"So how exactly are we suppose to get back into Wonderland?"Alice asked as they made their way to Central Park.

"Well it's kinda hard to explain,"Cheshire answered," You see at certian times of the day-"

"Such as tea time!"Hatter interjected.

"Right well,"Cheshire continued, slightly annoyed,"There is a temporary hole that appears in places all over the world. The holes lead into Wonderland, but unforunately, are only open for a couple of minutes."

"So if we miss our chance today we will have to wait till tomorrow."the March Hate continued.

"How come no one has questioned these so-called holes appearing and disappearing around the world?"Alice asked.

"Well from what I understand of your world so far people just don't seem to care."Hatter answered as he was roughly shoved aside by a passing man. The man didn't even look back or anything.

"I think that's just in New York."Alice said, trying her best to contain her laughter.

"Not to mention the fact that you humans can't believe what is before your eyes."Cheshire said, flashing her a smile.

"What do you mean?"Alice asked, feeling a little bit insulted.

"Well from what I can tell humans only believe what is logical, no matter what they see."Cheshire explained,"Even if a human sees something extraordinary most of the time their minds convinces them that it wasn't what they actually saw. They twist what they saw into something logical. Basically they lie to themselves."

"So,"Alice replied, somewhat following Cheshire's explanation," If people do see holes appear then disappear people would convince themselves that they probably didn't even see the hole in the first place."

"Correct. You're quite clever there Alice,"Cheshire said and winked at her.

"Alright enough with the explaining."Hatter interrupted,"The hole should be appearing any minute now in the park. Besides, it's not like we will be around to see people's reactions about the hole and us jumping in."

Alice wasn't sure people seeing them jump in a hole and it disappear they would just wave it off. New York people were rude and didn't care about much, but they were not blind. Besides Central Park was packed today, so it seemed like a sure thing that they would be spotted. Once again Alice felt like she was going crazy, going with a bunch of weird men into another world through a hole in the ground. What she found even more disturbing was the fact that she believed these men completely.

They came to a park fountain where dozens of people hung around. Some were playing or sitting and talking, while others were reading and just enjoying the nice day. Alice loved times like this. She could remember when she use to come here just to people watch and enjoy the day. She cast her gaze around the area, but spotted no magical hole or a hole of any kind for that matter.

"So where is it?" Alice asked.

"It seems we are a little early." Hatter replied shyly.

"How early?" Cheshire asked.

"Uhm...two hours."Hatter answered, which caused the rest of the group to groan in annoyance,"Let's just hang about for awhile until the hole appears."

So to pass the time they decided to explore Central Park. Hatter got caught up trying to imitate some of the street performers while the March Hare was running away from a creepy mime. Somehow that left Alice alone with the Cheshire Cat. She couldn't help but wonder if he would tease her again. Just thinking about it made her blush.

To keep her mind wandering from such thoughts she gave Cheshire the grand tour of the park. Before she knew it she was truly enjoying herself with him. It almost felt like a date, in some strange way. Alice bought them both some ice cream and they enjoy it sitting on a bench near the fountain. They ate their ice cream in silence, just enjoying the warmth of the day, and most of all, each other's company.

"Well this was a great way to kill two hours."Cheshire said happily as he devoured the last of his ice cream,"Definitely since it was with you."

"What are you going to tease me again like you did last night?"Alice replied sourly.

"Oh. Im sorry about that,"Cheshire smiled, not in the least bit sorry.

"You got some ice cream on your nose." Alice said, pointing to a smear on his nose.

"Oh!"Cheshire stated,"Let me get tha-"

He was cut short when Alice suddenly leaned towards and slowly licked the ice cream off his nose. For the first time Cheshire could feel his face grow red. He shivered and with one last lick Alice withdrew from him and stood up off the bench.

"You're not the only one who is a tease." Alice smirked,"Come on, it should be about time for the hole to appear. Let's find the Mad Hatter and the March Hare."

With one last shiver down his spine Cheshire got up and followed her. Once the blush on his face went down he couldn't help but grin to himself. Things have become very interesting now.

They all met up a little ways from the fountain. Hatter was constantly checking his watch to make sure the time was right while Alice, Cheshire, and Hare kept a look-out for the hole. Just then Alice spotted a small hole in the distance. It was barely big enough to fit a squrriel, but she could tell that it was slowly growing. She quickly pointed to it and they all raced towards the magical rabbit hole. They stood near it, waiting until it was big enough for them to jump through.

"I can't wait to get back to Wonderland."exclaimed Hatter,"We can give that ol Red Queen the what for."

"You know Alice,"Cheshire said, coming to stand in front of her, "When we get to Wonderland it will be my turn to give the grand tour of the place."

"Sounds like a date." Alice smiled, causing Cheshire to once again get taken aback and blush.

**BOOM!**

The sound went off just like that. Instantly people starting screaming and fleeing the scene, due to everyone knowing all too well the sound of gunfire. Alice felt blood hit her face and she screamed. For a second she thought it was her that had gotten hit, but she felt no pain. She opened her eyes to see Cheshire standing there, a gaping hole in his right shoulder. A trickle of blood ran down from his mouth and for once, he wasn't smiling. He had a look of pure pain and it chilled Alice. Without a word the Cheshire Cat fell to the ground.

Just then a man appeared from behind a tree. He weilded a sniper rifle in one hand, and a pocket watch in the other. On his left eye was a monocle, but what really stood out was the white bunny ears on top of his head.

"Looks like I arrived right on time. One down, three to go!" the man sneered, and pointed his rifle at Alice.


	10. Chapter 10:Don't Leave Me

Chapter 10: Don't Leave Me

As soon as the Cheshire Cat went down that's when everything went to hell. Hatter and March Hare leaped into action, trying their best to distract their attacker. The man with the white rabbit ears just simply laughed at them, dodging their attacks and toying with them. However he would pull out his pocket watch every now and then, and quickly check the time.

"Alice!"Hatter screamed at her,"Take Cheshire and get him out of here! We will hold off the White Rabbit."

So they knew this killer. Clearly by the long ears on top of his head he was a resident of Wonderland, and a servant to the Red Queen. She tore her eyes away from the fight to look down at the crumpled form of the Cheshire Cat. Blood covered the top half of his body and he wasn't moving. A dark thought entered her mind, what if Cheshire is dead!

She pushed that thought aside and tried not to panic. She brought her ear to Cheshire's mouth and she could hear him breathing! It was faint and in tiny gasps, but he was still alive! She wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes and carefully lifted the Cheshire Cat up. She put his arm around her shoulder and slowly started walking away from the White Rabbit and her friends. She had to get him out of here after all and try to heal him. She was pretty sure that the Mad Hatter and the March Hare would be ok.

Without looking back Alice dragged the limp form of the Cheshire Cat out of the park. She didn't know where to take Cheshire exactly. Her apartment was too far away to carry him and she was pretty sure she couldn't take him to a hospital. He did have cat ears and a tail after all. Not to mention he could turn his hands into claws at will. What was she to do?

Her body was starting to tire and she was sure to drop him soon. She needed to get as far away from the park as possible. She continued onward down the street, even if it was difficult. People was still in a panic over the incident in the park and the city was in an uproar. She had to push through the crowds all the while carrying her friend. She could feel her clothes getting more and more soaked in his blood and it worried her greatly.

She managed to carry the two of them a few more blocks before she collasped on the sidewalk. Using the last of her strength she drug Cheshire into a construction site, where a half-completed building stood. Once inside the building, she gently laid Cheshire's body down on the ground. She fell to her knees and breathed heavily, trying to regain her strength. Alice gazed at Cheshire and noticed that he still didn't move.

After a minute or so Alice got to work on trying to heal the Cheshire Cat. She inspected his wounds and noticed that the bullet hole had gone clean through his shoulder. She could see muscle tissue and torn flesh inside the gaping hole. Alice supressed the urge to vomit and looked around the area for anything that could help. The construction site was completely empty of anything, probably to make sure nothing could be stolen.

She saw that more blood was starting to ooze out of the hole in his shoulder. Alice stared helplessly as Cheshire slowly bled to death. Tears started to fall down her cheeks as the overwhelming horror sunk in. Cheshire was going to die. She was going to lose him...

"Please Cheshire...don't leave me."Alice said, barely in a whisper, "I can't handle losing someone else."

Alice wasn't even sure her voice could reach him anymore, but she continued talking anyway. She had kept these emotions and fears hidden deep inside her for years. It now felt like a dam had burst inside her chest and she couldn't stop herself from talking.

"When I was little I lost my parents in a car accident."Alice said, reliving the horrible memories in her mind," A drunk driver had hit them head-on and they died on impact. After that I was forced to move to New York to live with my grandmother. She was kind and a wonderful person. She raised me for years, but she too died eventually. I spent my whole life without friends, until Hatter, March Hare, and you came along."

Her hand gently held his cold one as she continued on her rant," You guys are the only friends I have made or ever have. I can't stand to lose someone else close to me. Please don't leave me. I'm not sure what you mean to me exactly just yet...but I know you mean alot to me and I don't want to lose you."

Suddenly she saw Cheshire's face curl up into a grin, followed by a raspy voice,"Don't worry my dear. I'm not going anywhere just yet."

Alice stared in shock as she saw Cheshire slowly raise up. He winced in pain and clutched his shoulder. She noticed that wound was closing up by itself! The blood had already stopped and the tissue and skin was merging back together. Slowly, the bullet hole was healing on it's own.

"I hate the wait."Cheshire said,"Each time I die it takes longer to come back to life and heal myself."

"What in the world is going on!"Alice shouted, in a mixture of shock and relief, with a hint of anger at the calm nature Cheshire was in.

"Oh well you see I am a cat after all." Cheshire replied,"I think I still have at least six lives left so don't worry Alice. I won't be leaving you anytime soon."

Alice could feel herself welling up with anger. She had thought he was dying and noone had told her that he was going to be ok! She had always thought that the nine lives thing was a stupid tale regarding cats, but Alice guessed it was true after all.

Despite being beyond furious with Cheshire she couldn't help but shed tears of joy that he was ok. He smiled sweetly at her and all her fears and former saddness melted away. It didn't stop her however from hitting him in his bad shoulder in mock anger.

"You jerk!"Alice shouted as she punched him,"Do you have any idea I worried I was!"

"Ouch! Still tender!" Cheshire screamed, rubbing the newly healed area on his shoulder.


	11. Chapter 11:Important Date with the Devil

Chapter 11: Important Date with the Devil

"Do you think Hatter and the March Hare are ok?" Alice asked.

Cheshire slowly rose to his feet. He may be ok, but he felt weak. Guess that is what coming back from the dead can do to a person. He leaned against the wall as he stood on his trembling legs.

"I'm not sure, I mean Hatter is as good a fighter as anyone."Cheshire replied,"but this guy is not just anyone we're up against."

"Who was he anyway?" Alice said, as the image of the man with white rabbit ears filled her mind. She shuddered as she remembered the look in his eyes after shooting Cheshire.

"His name is the White Rabbit or White for short."Cheshire answered,"He's the Red Queen's right hand man. He does all the dirty work. Such as killing enemies, as you can very well tell by now. He's trained and he's very dangerous. I'm not so sure if Hatter and Hare can defeat him. We need to go and find them now."

"Not in your condition. You can barely stand."Alice said, "You may be alive but you're too weak to face this White guy."

"I wholeheartedly agree."a voice said. They looked up from where the voice came from to see the White Rabbit above them. He was standing a stell pillar and was pointing a pistol at them and had a sinister sneer on his face.

"You're much harder to kill it seems than your friends Cheshire."White said, pulling back the hammer on his gun,"but I'm going to enjoy killing you all over again."

Alice couldn't believe it. Mad Hatter and the March Hare were dead. New tears trailed down her face as a wave of despair hit her.

"Alice get it together."Cheshire said,"We will mourn for them later. Right now let's just avenge them."

"Thats hilarious kitty."White Rabbit sneered,"Avengeing them would require you to hurt me. You're not gonna get that chance."

Cheshire was right. They didn't have the time to grieve over Hatter and Hare. If they did not deal with White, they would soon be joining them. The White Rabbit fired right at Cheshire, and Alice quickly tackled him out of the way. Cheshire groaned in pain, his wounds still tender.

"I can tell that you two aren't going to make this fun for me."White frowned at them,"This is already boring me."

"Alice."Cheshire whispered in her ear,"Run for it while I try to take him."

"But Cheshire you're too weak to fight him."Alice argued.

"I wouldn't count me out just yet my dear."the Cheshire Cat smiled, then he vanished before her eyes in a whisp of purple smoke.

She looked around and couldn't see the cat anywhere. Alice didn't even know he could do that! She could hear the White Rabbit struggling loudly, which caused her to look in his direction. White was trying to fire at the Cheshire Cat, but he simply vanished and reappeared in a different spot. He had a huge smile on his face, obviously having fun toying with the rabbit.

"How long do you think you can keep this up cat!"White yelled as he fired his pistol at the feline.

"Just long enough to take you down!"Cheshire remarked back, disappearing and reappearing behind the White Rabbit.

Before White could react Chesire delivered a kick to his head, causing him to fall off the stell railing. Cheshire winced in pain and clutched his wound. He almost didn't see the bullet heading for him, but he vanished in purple smoke just in time to avoid getting another bullet hole in his body. He reappeared right beside Alice, who was hiding behind a stack of timber.

"I can't keep going like this Alice."Cheshire said, breathing heavily and clutching his side.

"What are we going to do?"Alice asked, looking out to see White searching for them.

"I want you to run while I distract him ok."Cheshire said.

"No I won't leave you!"Alice hissed at him.

"This isn't up for debate Alice!"Cheshire snapped at her,"Now go!"

"You two aren't going anywhere."White smirked as he looked down on them on top of the stack,"I'm sorry you have to die, but the Red Queen wishes it. I'll bring back your heads as trophies for her."

"Looks like you're going to go back empty handed!"a voice screamed, and before White could find the source of the voice dozens of steel pipes dropped down on top of him. He screamed as the pipes covered him and crushed his body.

Alice and the Cheshire Cat looked upward to see both the Mad Hatter and the March Hare smiling at them on the upper level of the contruction building. They had a few cuts and bruises, but otherwise they seemed just fine.

"Did you miss us!"Hare exclaimed happily.

"Gee, guess you guys can't get anywhere without us."Hatter sneered.

Alice looked up at her friends with tears of joy. She had thought she would never see them again. Tears fell down her cheeks as she stood up and shouted at them.

"You idiots need to get down here so I can hug you!"Alice yelled up at them.

"I guess I'm not the only one that has multiple lives."Cheshire said, and grinned widely at them.


	12. Chapter 12:Wet Fur

Chapter 12: Wet Fur

Alice, along with Hatter,March Hare, and Cheshire were sitting around the local pool. The events of last night weighed heavily on them. They were exhausted, bruised, and worse of all scared. They did not find the White Rabbit's body under the steel pipes. Besides large amounts of blood, there was no trace of White. Somehow White must have escaped. He was most likely wounded, but alive. Clearly he would need time to heal, but when he did Alice and the others were sure he would be back for round two.

"So what's the plan now that we missed our chance to go to Wonderland?"Alice asked, luckily there weren't many people at the pool today so she didn't have to whisper.

"Well I doubt another hole will appear in New York for awhile."Hatter replied, laying down on an inflatable chair in the pool,"So I suppose we'll just have to wait until another one comes. Although Im not sure when that will be."

After the nightmare that was last night, Alice felt like she could use a little rest and relaxation. So she convinced Cheshire and the others to just take a break and enjoy the day at the nearby public pool. It wasn't too far from where she lived and she always loved coming here after a stressful day at work. She bought the three men swimming trunks, since they already stand out enough as it is. She didn't want them to get anymore curious glances from swimmers at seeing three strange men fully dressed at a public pool.

Despite the fact that she bought them all swimming suits they still insisted on wearing their "trademark" clothes. No matter how hard she tried to convince the Mad Hatter to leave his stupid hat at her apartment, he just wouldn't. So he was lounging in the pool with his big tophat on his head. Alice could understand why the March Hare and the Cheshire Cat wore their hats, since they had rabbit and cat ears under them, but still. No matter how hard she tried to make them look normal, those three always stood out like a sore thumb.

She looked around the pool area to try to locate the other two. She saw Hare was at the concession stand, buying his third ice cream cone. Guess the little guy loved ice cream alot. According to him, there was no such thing as ice cream in Wonderland. She noticed Cheshire was sitting underneath a shaded table reading a book. He had positioned himself as far away from the water as possible.

"Guess even cats from Wonderland hate water."Alice said to herself, holding back a laugh as she made her way to him.

Cheshire didn't even look up from his book as she sat down beside him. He was slightly annoyed at her she knew. After all, he was the only one who voiced his objection at going to the pool. When everyone else still wanted to go, he had volunteered to just stay in the apartment. Alice, however, would have none of that. She had practically dragged him here. As soon as they had entered the pool area a wet child ran by Cheshire, making him hiss like an actual cat at the prospect of almost getting wet. After that he went off alone to sulk.

"Come on Cheshire cheer up."Alice said,"I mean for god's sake you smile all the time. Heck you were smiling last night when we were fighting for our lives! Now you're telling me the one thing that puts you in a bad mood is a little poolwater?"

"You wouldn't understand Alice."Cheshire pouted,"It's a cat thing."

"What if I showed you my bathing suit?"Alice teased, whispering as sexily into his ear she could. At that, Cheshire stiffened and held his breath.

"That's not fair you know my dear." Cheshire replied in a low voice.

"I know."Alice said, and giggled as she made her way to the pool.

Alice was wearing an outer slip over her bikini, so she wouldn't have to journey from her apartment to the public pool in it. She pulled the slip over her, revealing her beautiful body to all around her. This was the most any of the guys had seen of her. She noticed that all three men were staring at her in amazement. Hatter was just staring at her with his mouth wide open. Hare was in a state of shock, not even noticing that his ice cream scoop slipped off his cone and onto the ground. Cheshire's eyes ran up and down her body like a dozen times, not even caring that his book had dropped from his grasp. She couldn't help but blush at watching Cheshire practically drool over her.

"Care to join me Cheshire?"Alice said sweetly as she jumped into the pool.

"Yes maam!"Cheshire squeaked and he slowly made his way to the edge of the pool.

He paused at the water's edge. The Cheshire Cat was about to back away when he saw Alice's wet body in the pool. The sun was gleaming off her skin, making her practically glow. She reminded him of an angel. He ignored every instinct he had as he jumped into the pool after her.

Almost immediately Cheshire regretted it. He hissed and meowed like the cat was as he came up. It just made it worse when he realized he could swim. After all he was a cat, when would he ever need to learn that when he despised water so. Cheshire started panicking as he thrashed his arms around, trying to stay afloat. He couldn't help himself as he started mewling like a baby suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso and pull him to the shallow section of the pool.

"Relax Cheshire I got you."Alice said comfortingly into his ear. He relaxed instantly and just enjoyed the feeling of her,"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you into getting into the water."

"It's alright my dear."Cheshire replied, his panick starting to fade,"I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me."

He winked at her and smiled his trademark grin. This caused Alice to blush heavily,"I bet you can."

'What's wrong Cheshire?Afraid of getting a little wet?"Hatter asked, and started laughing loudly.

Cheshire didn't say a word as he simply made his way over to Hatter. Cheshire flipped Hatter's inflatable chair over, causing the Mad Hatter to fall into the water and get wet. Hatter immerged from underwater, coughing out water. Both the March Hare and Alice were off to the side, howling in laughter and clutching their sides.

Suddenly a thought occured to Alice. She doubted that she and her friends would have more times like these. Where they could just sit back, have fun, and just enjoy each other's company. With the constant threat of assassins, and the eventual return to Wonderland, Alice knew they weren't going to have many more fun times together. Ahead of them lie a dark path, filled with battle and despair, and for what? Saving a country she doesn't even care for? Defeating an evil queen who has an army against just four of them.

However, she gazed at her three new friends. People who not too long ago she thought they were nutjobs who needed help. Now, she never felt closer to anyone than these three, especially Cheshire. She had always been somewhat of loner. Now that Hatter, Hare, and Cheshire had come into her life, she no longer feels lonely. She needed them in her life.

Alice realized that this Red Queen had hurt her new friends dearly, and had taken everything from them. So Alice would go to Wonderland and defeat the Red Queen. She would do it for her new friends...for her new family.


End file.
